Adjustable trolling device



April 28, 1959 G. H. M. DAHL ADJUSTABLE TROLLING DEVICE Filed July 10, 1956 ATTORNEY United States Patent O ADJUSTABLE TROLLING DEVICE George H. M. Dahl, Washington, D.C. Application July 10, 1956, Serial No. 597,000 1 Claim. (Cl. 43-4343 My invention relates to an adjustable trolling device for use in fishing and it is an object of the same to provide a device that is particularly useful in that it can be adjusted so as to maintain a fishhook at a predetermined depth in position relative to the water level, and to provide means suitable to maintain the hooks at such a level as will be most likely to attract fish.

Another object is to provide simple and positive means which can be set to hold a fishhook at a predetermined depth in the water while moving relatively thereto.

Another object is to control the movement of the device and the hooks or other devices carried thereby in such manner as to cause them to travel in a path, or in a plurality of paths parallel to the movement of the boat to which they are connected, and at a distance from the line of movement of each book, being generally parallel to said line, though the path or paths may be varied as by controlling the same so as to cause the movement to be somewhat diagonal relative to that of the boat, or it may be varied in other ways.

Referring now to the drawings, which are made a part of this application and in which similar parts are indicated by similar reference characters:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the device of my inven tion,

Fig. 2, a top plan,

Fig. 3, a section on line 3--3 of Fig. 2, showing the device as it may appear in use,

Fig. 4, a section on line 4--4 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5, a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, reference character indicates the body of the device, which may be made of any suitable material and which has at its front end an eye 11 for attachment of a line 12 to propel the device. At the rear end another eye 13 is secured to the body and both of the eyes may be held by screw threads or other convenient means. A hook 14 may be fastened to the eye 13 by a swivel 15.

Wings 16 and 17 are mounted on a shaft 18 which is pivotally mounted in a transverse bore in body 10 and they are thus pivotally mounted so that the wings can be set at any desired angle to vary the depth at which they hold the device in its movement through the water. For this purpose, a set screw 23 threaded in the body 10 may engage the shaft 18 and lock it in adjusted position so as to pre-set the wings to hold the entire device at a level determined by the setting of the wings 16, 17 and their adjusting means.

The device can thus be set at a depth suitable or desira- 2,883,787 Patented Apr. 28, 1959 ble under the condition of the water and light, all according to the judgement of the fisherman.

A fixed keel 19 depends from the underside of body 10 and a rudder 21 is mounted on a post 22 that is pivotally mounted in a vertical bore in body 10, the rudder 21 being fixedly mounted on the post 22. The rudder 21 and post 22 are maintained in adjusted position by a set screw 24 threaded in the body 10. The shaft 18 can be adjusted for the desired depth of submersion of the device of my invention to a degree dependent on the adjustment of shaft 18, which is locked in adjusted position by set screw 23.

In use the shaft 18 is rocked to bring the wings 16 and 17 to desired position to hold the device at desired depth, and is then locked in adjusted position by the screw 23. The position of the wings 16 and 17 determines the depth at which the entire device travels and adjustment of the rudder 21 determines the position maintained relatively to the side of the boat which carries the fishermen.

It will be evident that a boat may support a plurality of the devices of my invention, which I prefer to call adjustable trolling devices, but I prefer to use not more than four to avoid confusion, e.g., two to the left of the boat and two to the right, one of each being set deeper in the water than the other one of the pair. They may be set to steer the device to right or left, if desired, and the outermost pair may be set to move their devices outward from the path of the boat or inward toward said path. The wings 16, 17 may be set to steer the device upward toward the surface of the water or downward from the surface, and vice versa.

What I claim is:

An adjustable device for maintaining a constant, predetermined depth and lateral position of a fish hook relative to a propelling force used in trolling comprising an elongated solid body, an eye on the forward portion of said body for the reception of a fishing line, an eye on the rear portion of said body for the reception of a fish hook, said body being provided with a bore extending therethrough adjacent the front end, a first shaft extending through said front end bore, wings mounted on said first shaft at each side of said body, means to maintain the shaft in adjusted position to cause said device to assume a constant predetermined depth, a keel mounted longitudinally of said body and extending downwardly therefrom, said body being provided with a second bore extending therethrough adjacent the rear end transversely to said front end bore, a second shaft extending through said second bore, a rudder mounted on the bottom of said second shaft and behind said keel and means to maintain said second shaft in adjusted position to guide said device to a constant predetermined lateral position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,188,583 Townsend June 27, 1916 1,361,602 Marks Dec. 7, 1920 1,606,240 Klasemer Nov. 9, 1926 1,870,559 Drake Aug. 9, 1932 2,545,185 Winslow Mar. 13, 1951 2,789,386 Creelman Apr. 23, 1957 2,797,521 Bowen July 2, 1957 2,825,994 Bruhn Mar. 11, 1958 

